Page 1 of Devil's Lair

CHAPTER 1

BANE

“Here.Have you seen her? Please just take a look.” I ignored the woman without even looking up from my phone. But as soon as her soft hand landed on my forearm, I immediately halted.

Only five tiny fingers with short, manicured nails touched me, but the small gesture felt like wildfire. A woman’s touch hasn’t affected me in years. Not like this. It was foreign. Alien. And had me immediately interested.

My gaze shifted to her heart-shaped face, pale skin, and large walnut colored eyes framed with thick, natural lashes.

Not a trace of make up was on her fresh face. Her eyes pleaded with mine. Her tongue quickly licked her lower lip before nervously darting back inside.

“Her name is Rose. Rose Worthington. She’s only twenty. Please, look again!”

I felt myself stir.

I would take this one.

No doubt.

She’d be just as gone as the girl on the flyer.

“No, I haven’t seen her,” I lied. Pushing past her into the last station store. The door chimed as I waled in. The cold air from the AC did nothing to my overheated skin.

How was that slip of a woman pure fire?

I swatted her away as I would an annoying gnat. I gave nothing away. That’s how I rolled; stone cold. I’d let he think she was safe.

Unnoticed.

When the truth was she was about to become devil’s prey.

I’m not a good man. Ask anybody within a two hour radius of the Clubhouse. I ride ‘em rough both chrome and women.

I don’t apologize for jack shit; even if I am the one in the wrong. Our MC has gone through some major shit lately but our brotherhood was strong. I had my men’s back and they had mine. We were cleaning up our business changing course from hardcore shit to more legit. But being bad was in our blood. It’s hard walk a cleaner path when all you know is how to survive in the darkness of the world.

I grew up with a hard man for a father. He only taught me how to be mean. Evil. I was spoken to with harsh words and harder hits across the face.

My old man died alone and angry.

I was my father’s son in many ways. But I refuse to let his demons destroy me. I stay clean. Never do a hard drug. I drink for pleasure not to dull pain. I fuck when and who I want without every catching a thing or knocking a girl up.

I’m careful.

Calculated.

And this girl made the mistake of catching the interest of the Enforcer of Devil’s Glen MC.

“Bane.”

I nodded to Burt, the old man who’s family had been running this piece of shit gas station for fifty plus years. He was already grabbing two cartons of my favorite menthol smokes from behind the locked case. I pulled my cell from the back pocket ofmy jeans, I quickly typed out her make, model and plates in my notes while pretending to scroll.

“She finally left… that girl has been bothering my customers all day. I called Shane at the Sheriff’s station to fine her for loitering but he wouldn’t come.”

My eyes moved away from her vehicle reluctantly. “You leave her the fuck alone. You hear me?” My pointer finger was in his face and if I didn’t like his answer so would be my fist.

He held both palms up as he moved to ring me up. “I didn’t know she was under your MC’s protection.”

I just shrugged. I didn’t know it either until I saw her heartbeat in the tiny pulse of her neck at the same time I felt her soft yet firm touch. That woman had mine stamped all over her and no one knew it yet but me and now Burt.

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